1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing in which servers process print job information to be stored in a storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lately, an operation system tends to be formed on the server side to ensure security, establish internal control (in compliance with the SOX Act), and observe the Private Information Protection Law.
With the centralization of operation in one location, the clients managed by the servers have increased, and to cope with this situation, clustering of servers has become an effective solution.
With respect to the cluster formation in a printing system, techniques for transmitting and receiving, and spooling print jobs have been proposed.
In a clustered print system that performs monitoring of a print operation and the print device, it is assumed that job information about the same printer is stored in a plurality of servers.
With regard to a method of using a common file, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-154110 proposes a method for keeping track of the update of a common file and notifying the updated status to the other servers.
As described above, when common information is shared by a plurality of servers, if a failure occurs at a server, common information may not be updated. In this case, it is necessary to make sure if each individual server is alive.
As a method for confirming if a server is operational in a plurality of server environments, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-036552 proposes a method for monitoring the other servers by mutually exchanging signals.